Marin group sues BP over alleged turtle burning

A Marin environmental group is suing British Petroleum, alleging it is burning endangered sea turtles as it sets fire to oil adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.

The suit, filed this week in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, also names the U.S. Coast Guard and alleges controlled burns are killing sea turtles in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

"BP is burning turtles alive and it is cruel, heartless and a crime we can't and won't allow to continue," said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, based in Forest Knolls. "Sea turtles were critically endangered before BP created America's worst environmental catastrophe. BP needs to reverse course and help double our efforts to rescue sea turtles, not prevent their recovery."

In order to rid the ocean of crude oil leaking from the blown BP oil rig, boats create a corral by dragging together fire-resistant booms and then torchinig the enclosed area - about the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Because the oil is sticky and hard to maneuver through, the turtles cannot escape, Steiner said.

Turtle Island was joined by the Center for Biological Diversity, Animal Welfare Institute and Animal Legal Defense Fund in filing the suit. The same groups have filed a temporary restraining order to halt the burns. That request was scheduled to be heard in court Friday morning.

BP spokesman Tony Odone said he couldn't comment directly on the legal actions, but said in general BP has been mindful of sea life during the burns.

"This whole idea that animals are being burned alive is appalling," he said. "We have vessels and aircraft to check if there are any animals in the burn area. We have done that from the beginning. There is also a biologist onboard and the fire can be stopped if animals are seen."

On Thursday, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is assisting with the cleanup, sharing concerns about sea turtles and other wildlife affected by the cleanup efforts.

"I understand that keeping the oil from reaching the shoreline is a high priority, but efforts to do so must not unreasonably jeopardize wildlife and the rest of the fragile and highly productive Gulf Coast ecosystem," she wrote. "Some options may be available to minimize the risk to sea turtles and other wildlife from controlled burns and the spill itself, such as employing locals as wildlife spotters on the skimmers or to rescue turtles before they are oiled or burned."

The spill occurred as federally endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles started nesting in the Gulf of Mexico. Several females have been tracked directly to the oil spill. Millions of hatchlings are racing to the sea now from nests in the Gulf of Mexico and are likely to face oiled waters as they seek out Gulf currents, Steiner said.

As of Thursday, at least 436 sea turtles have been collected dead in the Gulf area since the oil spill due to oiled waters as well as capture in shrimp trawls. In addition to the Kemp's ridley, four other endangered sea turtle species are found in the Gulf of Mexico: greens, loggerheads, hawksbills and leatherbacks. They rely on areas throughout the Gulf of Mexico for nesting, reproduction, feeding and migration.

"Kemp's ridleys have struggled back from near extinction; they deserve more than dying in purposefully set oil fires," said Carole Allen, a Turtle Island board member.